Quillback

A small beast that feeds exclusively on insects, particularly those with hard shells. It uses its strong, sharp teeth to crack open its prey’s armor in order to feed on the soft insides. Its back is covered in poisonous quills that aid it in defense, as many predators would target it due to its size. Contact with these quills can cause paralyzation to small predators, while many larger predators will experience pain and irritation.

Procreate, 2019.

Fairy

Procreate 2019

Infected World

Illustration for my thesis project. More information to come!

Procreate, 2019.

Mictlantecuhtli

As the God of the Dead in Aztec mythology, Mictlantecuhtli rules over Mictlan, the lowest underworld. In Mictlan, he guards the bones of those who have passed on. He is reached by the dead after they complete the trials of a four year journey through the underworld. As the lord of the land of the dead, ritual cannibalism was done in his honor.

My take on Mictlantecuhtli is a monstrous depiction of him. Typically shown as a skeletal figure or covered in bones, he decorates himself with skulls, blood, and eyeballs of the dead, which he has collected himself. Mictlantecuhtli is a tall, intimidating creature who towers over those souls that reach him.

I originally sculpted this model in Zbrush in 2017, however I revisited it in 2019 by creating a render of it in Maya using Arnold. After I had the rendered image, I brought it into Procreate to paint over it for the final illustration.

Zbrush, Maya/Arnold, Procreate

2019

Arnorld render with paint over in Procreate (2019)

Initial concept art - pencil on paper (2017)

Leraba

A nocturnal predatory beast that utilizes bioluminescence as a lure. The leraba spends most of its time motionless, flattening itself against a tree branch while its bioluminescent lures hang below. Its primary target is a small flying beast that hunts a species of bioluminescent insect. This beast’s vision is particularly sensitive to blues, as the insects it feeds on emit a blue light. By mimicking now only the color of the insects’ lights, but also their light patterns, the leraba is able to trick its prey into thinking its lure is a group of insects. Upon coming into contact with the hanging tendrils, its prey will be caught in a tough, sticky substance. The leraba then uses both its hands and its long tongue to bring the catch into its gaping mouth.

Procreate, 2019

Gargoyle

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Yahrasa

The yahrasa is an omnivore found in alpine biomes. While its vision is poor, the yahrasa is able to use sonar and a strong sense of smell to find its prey. It is an opportunistic hunter, as it will consume a variety of things such as small beasts, carrion, insects, nuts and fruits. Its thick hoof-like toenails are excellent for digging up worms and burying food that it wants to save for later. Yahrasa use their bony plated horns both to duel others of their species and for defense against potential predators. As a territorial creature, yahrasa also use a strong club at the end of their tail to spar rivals.

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Thorned Dragon

The thorned dragon is a massive species covered in hundreds of spines primarily used for fighting. While its jaws are incredibly strong and can crunch bone with a single bite, the thorned dragon’s skin is very thick and protected by scales, making it difficult to puncture. During duels between two of these apex predators, the dragons will attempt to slash their spines into to other’s skin, particularly the slightly softer throat and underbelly. The only true threat these beasts face is other dragons, as nearly anything else they come across can potentially become prey.

Bust sculpted in ZBrush

2018

Zbrush Render

Initial concept drawn in Procreate

Envenar

A small but ferocious beast capable of spitting poison up to 30 feet away. It has a set of frills around its mouth, which it will pull back when threatened, exposing a colorful underside meant to make the beast appear larger and more dangerous. It does not have many predators due to its defenses and aggressive nature.

Photoshop and Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Sakotka

A huge apex predator found in dry desert landscapes. The sakotka’s only threat is others of its species, as it is highly territorial. Both males and females grow to be around the same size, however only males have a throat sack, which can be inflated as a mating display. Sakotka are incredibly strong and use their bulky bodies to take down large prey. They must eat large amounts of food, so they are constantly on the hunt. These beasts are truly frightening to encounter, as they are ruthless and are often seen playing with their injured prey before killing it.

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Anglerfish

A species of deep sea anglerfish that appears to have two mouths, each with its own set of teeth. The fish floats slowly through the depths, flashing its lure to attract prey. When prey is close enough to its mouth, the anglerfish will strike with its extendable inner mouth. It will then use the outer set of teeth to act as a cage and keep its prey contained as the inner mouth slowly swallows the catch.

Modeled in Zbrush, textured in Substance Painter, rendered in Maya with Renderman, and post production added in Photoshop.

2018

Model in Zbrush

Concept art

Kelawar

The kelawar is a large, carnivorous bat-like creature. Its huge ears provide the kelawar with a keen sense of hearing, which helps it locate prey while flying above.

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Initial sketch

Isilo

An illusive beast that is rarely seen, as it is nocturnal and hunts exclusively at night. It is a solitary creature that keeps a strict territory, which it will ferociously defend from others of its species. Brightly colored features are only found on the faces of males, as they are used as mating displays. Males will inflate the display by blowing air into it. The isilo is an ambush predator that relies on darkness and quiet movements to sneak up on unsuspecting prey.

Concepts done in Procreate on iPad Pro. Bust modeled and textured in Zbrush then rendered in Maya with Renderman and touched up in Photoshop.

2018.

God Beast

An ancient being that exists between dimensions. What this beast is capable of and what it does is largely unknown, as it is rarely seen. It has, however, been given the name ‘God Beast’ by those who have encountered it due to its apparent incredible power.

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

Illusao Character Designs

Character designs exploring the variety of clothing and companions of people in different regions across Illusao.

Procreate on iPad Pro

2018

A hunter from the Grasses region with his bald trotter companion

A shaman from the Poles region with her tundra imp companion

An artisan from the Trees region with her greater owquill companion

Infected Vampires

Designs of vampires who have been infected by a sort of vampire plague. The infected's body will contort and stretch to create a gruesome bat-like form. No two are alike, as each one mutates in different ways. The body will continuously mutate, leading to a grotesque appearance.

Scanned pencil drawing combined with Photoshop painting

2017

Scan of pencil drawing

Forest Dragon

A small species of dragon that resides in dark, dense forests. It feeds on a variety of creatures smaller than itself and may sometimes be targeted by even larger dragons. For protection, it relies on the many spines along its body as well as a poisonous spine on top of its head. The bright colors of this dragon's snout are meant to warn other creatures of the poison it possesses.

Photoshop

2017-2018

Tenebra, The Darkness

A demonic presence who lurks through towns in the darkness of the night searching for those who are asleep and dreaming. She curses the resting mind with disorienting, repeating imagery and delirium, leaving her victim in a constant state similar to that of a fever dream. Because she only preys on those who are dreaming, sightings of Tenebra are extremely rare. When individuals believe she is near, they will deprive themselves of sleep in order to stay protected from her curse.

Long ago, there were both good and evil beings, the Seraphs and the Demons. A constant war raged between these beings, and eventually the Seraphs were defeated and killed off by the powerful Demons. Now, the world is left in a dark and horrific state where Demons do as they please and humans must constantly fear for their lives. There are still a few Seraphs left, however they are left hidden and weak. As the only cure to the curses of the Great Demons, these Great Seraphs are sought after by humans, who must make sure that their locations are kept unknown to the many demonic beings.

Demons are untouchable to humans and can only be defeated by the Seraphs. Likewise, Seraphs can only be defeated by Demons.

Each of the Great Demons has their own unique curse meant to bring everlasting agony to the life of their victims, however they can only inflict their curse upon people under certain conditions.

Photoshop

2017

Morsus, The Bite

Morsus is demonic presence who lurks within dark forests during the day, while searching for farms and towns in the night. He inflicts a curse on the animals kept by farmers. Upon consuming the meat of the animal, an individual obtains his curse. This curse causes a person's muscle tissue to slowly form hard, sharp "teeth," which eventually force their way through skin, causing agonizing pain and eventual infections. No matter how many times the cursed remove the teeth from their flesh, they will continue to grow back and will eventually cover the entire body. If there are sightings of Morsus, farmers will either attempt to move their animals away or kill them out of fear that they have already been cursed. Animals do not have any noticeable physical abnormalities once they have obtained the curse. It is said that cursed animals become dehydrated, however the truth of this rumor is unknown.

Long ago, there were both good and evil beings, the Seraphs and the Demons. A constant war raged between these beings, and eventually the Seraphs were defeated and killed off by the powerful Demons. Now, the world is left in a dark and horrific state where Demons do as they please and humans must constantly fear for their lives. There are still a few Seraphs left, however they are left hidden and weak. As the only cure to the curses of the Great Demons, these Great Seraphs are sought after by humans, who must make sure that their locations are kept unknown to the many demonic beings.

Demons are untouchable to humans and can only be defeated by the Seraphs. Likewise, Seraphs can only be defeated by Demons.

Each of the Great Demons has their own unique curse meant to bring everlasting agony to the life of their victims, however they can only inflict their curse upon people under certain conditions.

Photoshop

2017

Northstone Monster and Assets

Northstone is a small game project I worked on with three other students. In the game, you are a construction worker sent to check out the recently closed Northstone Academy school in order to prepare it for demolition. The school had been permanently closed after a mysterious string of events led to a brutal murder. Upon entering, you find yourself trapped inside with a strange presence and discover things are not as they seem.

I designed and modeled the clock-faced creature for the game along with a few flesh-like growths found in the school.

2016-2018

Render of the model. Rendered in Maya with Renderman. Post work done in Photoshop and Procreate. 2018

The Beasts of Illusao - Senior Show

Illusao is an imaginary world that is the product of over five years of thought, writing, and art making. What began as a few sketches of a character and some of the creatures he shared his home with has become a massive ongoing project. The exhibition The Beasts of Illusao is a way to share a part of this world that often occupies my mind.

The Beasts of Illusao focuses on the wildlife that resides within the continent of Illusao. These beasts are a huge part of life for the citizens of every region, so it is important that they are understood. A field guide provides information on Illusao’s fauna as a whole while also looking at many of the individual monsters that one may come across while exploring the world. It contains illustrations of the various beasts to visualize them and detail any peculiar features they may have. In addition, it contains written text to reveal details about the creatures’ living habits, food choice, and even threat level towards humans. This Field Guide to the Beasts of Illusao acts as the perfect companion for anyone traveling in Illusao’s harsh landscape.

The Beasts of Illusao also features full color illustrations depicting a few of the beasts that can be found within the field guide. These pieces were completed using pen, layers of watercolor, and a touch of acrylic paint. They show the fauna residing in whichever of Illusao’s many landscapes they are found. By depicting various creatures, the paintings explore not only the details and structure of the beasts themselves, but also things such as predation, interaction, and variants. These illustrations take from the field guide and expand upon the ideas it has provided. If one is curious, they may open the field guide and find the pages for any of the monsters seen in the paintings to learn more about them. Theses refined pieces are also accompanied by smaller gouache and pen studies of different creatures as they may have been seen by researchers in Illusao’s world. Unlike the posed master paintings, these studies show the specimens in action as they go through activities needed to survive.

The beasts are a huge factor in making the world what it is, so through these various forms of artwork an important part of Illusao is revealed.

Work created 2016-2017.

20 copies of my 123-page Field Guide to the Beasts of Illusao were printed. I customized the cover of each one using laser engraving.

The field guide features profiles of 34 different beasts, each with multiple illustrations and text written about them.